Blair is in trouble. No, the other one

PM says that the Commissioner of the Met Police has his full confidence. Better start packing up your office then, sir.

Ken Livingstone has also stood up for the Commissoner, and in characteristic form turned his fire on someone else and blamed them. Ken says the IPCC, who investigate complaints against the Police, are leaking everything to the press.

To be fair, the IPCC are a joke anyway. Supposed to be "independent", over 80% of their investigators used to work for ... the police. If they are leaking it is a reflection of how many coppers and ex-coppers do not care for the stance that Ian Blair has taken, trying to fundamentally change the culture of the Met.

However, despite all this support there is still a lot of questions to be answered about the Stockwell shooting. Why did the Commissioner tell the press that he was a mad Muslim terrorist in a big coat with a bomb, when it was already known that he was a peaceful Brazilian guy on his way to work?

It looks like Blair is being undermined by his subordinates, chief gobshite among them being Dep Asst Commissioner Brian Paddick. This publicity junkie has been vocal about his dislike of some of Blair's policies. Other senior officers have been too.

If only the shambles at Forest Gate could have been avoided. Anyone who watched two innocent British Muslims guys tell teh press how THEY felt when the police stormed into their house, how upset THEY are at their treatment both at arrest and during 8 days of interrogation, will know just how bad this situation is for the police.

If heads have to roll, I think Paddick and the rest of the awkward squad should be shown the door before Ian Blair.